


Quirks

by rosesscythes



Category: RWBY
Genre: Autistic Ruby Rose (RWBY), F/F, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 11:55:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17662151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesscythes/pseuds/rosesscythes
Summary: Yang worries when Ruby has a strange response to her and Blake.





	Quirks

**Author's Note:**

> commission for my friend kai!

It was on the flight to Atlas that Yang first noticed Ruby’s slight quirk of the mouth whenever she held Blake’s hand.

Oh sure, that knowing smile when they’d first regrouped had made it all too obvious that Ruby knew precisely what Yang’s feelings were for Blake. Sure, her sister wasn’t exactly the most knowledgeable when it came to people, but Yang wore her heart on her sleeve so obviously that even Ruby couldn’t help but find her moods easy to interpret. And of course this was Ruby, so she was nothing but supportive of the duo.

Still, Yang would grip Blake’s hand tightly, and suddenly Ruby’s mouth would give a little quirk downwards at the corner before returning to a gentle smile. And it was certainly something that gave Yang pause.

It was only when they arrived in Atlas and got somewhat settled into bunks that Yang brought it up with Blake.

“She’s your sister,” Blake responded as they sat on the beds of their makeshift dormitory. General Ironwood had offered it as the best possible living space, and was currently sorting things out with Qrow, Maria, Ruby, Jaune, and Weiss. Ren and Nora, meanwhile, had gone to find some good takeout to bring back, leaving Blake and Yang all alone to talk. Yang had her own suspicions that they were also giving the two some space, particularly after having spent a couple hours all crammed into that tiny aircraft, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t need it.

“I know, and that’s what’s bothering me.” Yang flopped back on the bed, long hair spilling out from under her. She crossed her arms and stared at the ceiling while she spoke. “Ruby doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, and she loves both of us, so like...what’s the big deal?”

Blake sat quietly for a second, pondering the question. “Maybe she’s not mean enough,” she finally spoke softly.

Yang could only barely give her a stinkeye from her position. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Blake took a deep breath before sighing and responding. “Yang...we killed someone. Yes, it was in self-defense. But it’s still...we still have blood on our hands.” She leaned back, looking at the ceiling as well. “I love Ruby, but...she may just have a problem with that. She may think we could’ve stopped Adam some other way.”

Yang frowned. Blake might not have been wrong. Ruby had been quick to forgive Cordovan for her use of excessive force, and before that...she’d always been the first of the gang to make friends, despite her old insistence that she didn’t want any new ones. From Jaune, to Penny, to even Blake herself. Ruby was very much a force for good, only added to by the past few days. And what Blake and Yang had done was kind of a gray area, as much as it leaned on the light side. Hell, from what the rest of the group had told them, the most outright violent thing Ruby had ever done was take the man who almost killed Qrow’s tail, rather than kill him.

She shook her head, so much as to clear it as to get some hair out of her eyes, before she sat up. “No. She’d understand that too. Adam would have never stopped, and we didn’t have the capability to take him into any sort of custody. Even if we’d maimed him, rather than killing him, he would’ve found a prosthetic somehow, and just been right back at it.”

Blake nodded. “Alright, so do you have any other ideas?”

Yang pursed her lips. “Knowing my sister as well as I do? It might be something minor that’s bugging her. Maybe the thought of me throwing Bumblebee away when it had so much strategic value in the long run, or something silly.”

Blake raised an eyebrow, and reached over and held Yang’s hand, squeezing tightly. “If it’s something like that, why don’t you just ask her?” She scooted over to sit next to Yang, leaning against her for her natural warmth, as well as to provide some comfort.

Yang sighed, leaning back against Blake’s head. “I want to, but it’s Ruby. Sometimes she just can’t put into words what she’s feeling, or, if it is something minor, she’ll feel too embarrassed to just come out and say it.”

“Kind of reminds me of someone else,” Blake replied, smiling, and Yang smiled back.

They let it go for the night, as Ren and Nora brought back burgers, and the rest came back weary, tired of arguing with Ironwood. At least the General was kind enough to give Weiss some reprieve before she had to deal with her father. They sat and chatted for a bit, talking about their future plans in Atlas. The group that had met with Ironwood looked weary, and one by one were the first to excuse themselves from the table.

Yang, on the other hand, wasn’t so quick to give Weiss a break, and excused herself with Weiss, leaving Blake, Ren, and Nora to talk. With some effort, she tugged the Atlas native outside.

“Wh-Yang! Tell me you’re not just gonna ask me for the best shops around here,” Weiss protested, though she’d at least been willing to follow. She looked around a bit nervously, almost like she expected someone to find her and haul her home kicking and screaming.

Not only did Yang know the feeling, but she knew what she’d do if anyone tried that on her teammate.

“No, of course not,” Yang shook her head. “I just...has Ruby mentioned anything about me and Blake since we got here?”

Weiss raised an eye, clearly unimpressed. “Nothing out of the normal, why?”

Yang sighed. “She keeps getting this little expression when she sees us together. It’s not, like, disapproval or anything, she just seems...hesitant, I guess. You’re her partner, and you’ve been with her all day, so I was wondering if she said anything to you.”

Weiss was silent for a bit, and then shook her head. “So it’s official, then? You and Blake are…”

Yang shrugged. “Not quite. It’s more complicated than that. We...what we had to do to protect each other, and what we’ve both been through…” At Weiss’ unconvinced, albeit still understanding, glance, Yang hurried. “We love each other, and we both know it. It’s just gonna take time.”

Weiss nodded. “I know. And Ruby knows. So why are you doubting her?”

Yang looked away, glancing at the ground. She gave the question some thought before responding tightly. “My dad said he saw a lot of my mom in me, when I was home after Beacon. He said he only saw the good. But after meeting her, and with what hell our parents went through with relationships?” She leveled her gaze back at Weiss. “I’m worried that Ruby is worried for me.”

Weiss smiled. “And I’m guessing that that’s a new feeling, isn’t it?” At Yang glancing back down at the ground, she laid a supportive hand on the blonde’s shoulder. “Ruby does worry. She worries about all of us a lot, because she loves us and we love her. There was a reason why she was the only one able to truly overcome the Apathy, and it wasn’t her eyes. It was because she cares about us. She’s been worried about you since Beacon fell. It’s just now that you’re noticing. But it means she cares.”

Yang nodded, then tightly embraced Weiss. “Thank you. For everything.”

Weiss returned the hug eagerly. “I’m always here.” She pulled away, before giving Yang a little smirk. “That said, I would appreciate not playing wingwoman for that much longer,” she lightly teased. “So I advise you to talk to your sister sooner than later, rather than duck around and ask everyone but her.”

Yang’s cheeks turned red, and she cried out “Weiss!”. She had, in fact, intended to ask Jaune and Qrow just in case. Maybe Maria too, not that Yang was as familiar with the old woman as Ruby was. Still, Weiss did have a point, and it wasn’t normally like Yang to be so hesitant. So the blonde squared herself and grinned right back. “Alright. Tomorrow. And maybe you can suggest some good shops for us to visit while we talk.”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “Can we go inside please?”

Yang, admittedly, missed her chance to talk to Ruby that night. She and Maria had gone to have a private discussion of their own, one that Yang imagined involved just what Ruby had done to conquer the Leviathan Grimm. It was in the morning, just after breakfast, that she and Blake grabbed Team RWBY’s leader, hauling her off under the pretense of buying Dust to restock the group’s wares.

Walking down the cold streets of Atlas, they were quiet. Browsing a Dust shop and buying what they needed, they were quiet. But it was on the way out of the shop that Yang and Blake made a pointed show of holding hands, and both caught Ruby’s expression.

“Ruby,” Blake said, carefully keeping her voice kind. “How are you feeling after yesterday?” She didn’t broach the subject of Ruby’s little quirk of the mouth quite yet.

“Uh,” Ruby shrugged, rubbing at the back of her head with her hand. “Kinda good? Still kinda tired, though. But grateful, I guess.”

“Grateful?” Blake inquired.

Ruby nodded. “Everyone made it out fine, and my powers worked on command for once. So, yeah, grateful.”

Blake and Yang shared a glance. So it certainly wasn’t Adam or Yang’s bike that was the problem. Then again, Ruby didn’t seem like she understood what they were leading to.

Yang broke the glance sighed. This was gonna require a little bit more bluntness. “Ruby, we...noticed that when we hold hands, you get this little look on your face. We know you love us, so we just want to know...what are your feelings on us being…” she took a pause, and Blake interjected.

“Together?”

Ruby paused for a second on her own, before smiling sadly. “I’m…” Her hands flitted to her pockets, and Yang could tell she was rolling a bullet between her fingers, trying to work out what she wanted to say with simple repetitive motions. Finally, Ruby spoke.

“I’m so proud of you...but I’m also so sad for you.”

Blake stifled a small gasp, as Yang tilted her head. “Oh?” she gently prodded.

Ruby smiled back up, but tears were starting to prick the corners of her eyes. “I love both of you, so much. You deserve the world. But...the world didn’t give you what you deserved.” She glanced away. “Back at Beacon...okay, I could be kind of socially awkward. But I still saw the signs between you two. I just wish you could’ve gotten together without Beacon falling, without Adam stalking you, without all the pain.” She back up at the two, and started crying. “When I had to use my powers, I thought of all the good times, of all the people who’ve loved me. And I wish you two always had good times, had been given a chance to love each other without the hurt.”

“Oh, Ruby,” Yang and Blake said sadly in conjunction, as they wrapped the younger girl in a tight hug.

“We can’t change what has happened to us,” Blake said, holding the two tightly. “But we can make the most of what we still have.”

Ruby shuddered into their grip. “I love you. I’m so proud of you.” she repeated.

Yang smiled into her sister’s hair. “Backatcha, sis.”


End file.
